The Falcons offense sputtered in the red zone twice against the Eagles, resulting in the team’s lone points — two field goals. The first couple of the drives, Arthur Smith’s offense looked formidable. Still, overall, it was thoroughly disappointing, thanks to an offensive line that couldn’t block a soul.
The Falcons offensive personnel is far superior to the defensive personnel, so it is a bit surprising to see only six points, but it’s important to temper expectations when talking about a new system in its first year. It can’t be assumed that the Falcons offense will immediately be one of the top groups in the league; it’ll take time.
Before the season opener, Matt Ryan suggested the team will look much different in November and December than the first half of the season.
Matt Ryan: "I think we'll be a very different team in November and December."
— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) September 8, 2021
This wasn’t directed towards the offense specifically, but it is revealing. It shows me Ryan believed the offense might experience struggles to begin the season as he and Smith find cohesiveness on that side of the ball. Not only that, but a new head coach has to implement a new scheme and figure out the logistics of being the lead man on a Sunday instead of a coordinator. It was always entirely possible the offense and team as a whole begin the season in disarray but figure it out as the season goes.
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